Genesis 26:33

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:33 Unde appellavit eum, Abundantiam: et nomen urbi impositum est Bersabee, usque in præsentem diem.

From which he called it Abundance; and the name of the city was called Bersabee, even to this present day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Unde from which ADV
2 appellavit he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 eum it ACC.SG.M.PRON
4 Abundantiam Abundance ACC.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 nomen name NOM.SG.N
7 urbi to the city DAT.SG.F
8 impositum was placed NOM.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
9 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 Bersabee Beersheba NOM.SG.F (indeclinable Hebrew name)
11 usque even to PREP+ACC
12 in into PREP+ACC
13 præsentem present ACC.SG.F.ADJ
14 diem day ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Unde appellavit eum Abundantiam — “From which he called it Abundance.”
The adverb Unde (“from which”) indicates cause or origin. The verb appellavit governs two accusatives: eum (object) and Abundantiam (predicate complement).
Main Clause 2: et nomen urbi impositum est Bersabee — “and the name of the city was called Beersabee.”
Here, nomen serves as the subject, impositum est forms the passive verb phrase, urbi is a dative of reference (“to the city”), and Bersabee is the predicate nominative (the new name).
Prepositional Phrase: usque in præsentem diem — “even to this present day.” The prepositions usque in express duration continuing into the present.

Morphology

  1. Unde — Lemma: unde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: introduces source or cause; Translation: “from which”; Notes: Refers to the event of discovering water.
  2. appellavit — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he called”; Notes: Denotes naming or designating.
  3. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the well.
  4. Abundantiam — Lemma: abundantia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “Abundance”; Notes: Symbolic name reflecting divine provision.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects two clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links naming of the well and city.
  6. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “name”; Notes: Subject of passive verb “impositum est.”
  7. urbi — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “to the city”; Notes: Indicates the entity to which the name was given.
  8. impositum — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: verb of passive periphrasis; Translation: “was placed / imposed”; Notes: Used with “est” for completed passive action.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes passive phrase.
  10. Bersabee — Lemma: Bersabee; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Beersabee”; Notes: Name meaning “Well of the Oath” or “Well of Seven.”
  11. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses continuation; Translation: “even to”; Notes: Marks temporal extent.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: complements “usque”; Translation: “into / until”; Notes: Indicates ongoing duration.
  13. præsentem — Lemma: præsens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “diem”; Translation: “present”; Notes: Describes current time reference.
  14. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition “in”; Translation: “day”; Notes: Concludes temporal expression “even to this present day.”

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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